Bridging Superconductors With United Nations Development Goals: Perspectives and Applications

Abstract

Ceramic superconductors exhibit remarkable properties, including zero electrical resistance and potent magnetic behavior, operating at temperatures as high as the boiling points of liquid nitrogen (77 K) and liquid hydrogen (20 K). These characteristics position them as key enablers for sustainable technologies spanning electric propulsion, lossless energy transmission, advanced medical imaging, and quantum computation. This review presents a bibliometric analysis of 33 756 Web of Science publications (1980–2025) on superconductors and their applications, examining their potential contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through detailed analysis of author keywords, we identify principal applications and research trajectories during the SDG implementation era (2015–2025), including superconducting magnets for MRI diagnostics, clean maritime propulsion systems, and high-efficiency power grids. Magnetic levitation enables zero-emission transit solutions, while high-field magnets offer novel approaches for environmental remediation of microplastics. At the nanoscale, superconducting single-photon detectors enable real-time environmental sensing, and superconducting qubits drive advances in quantum computing. Despite this promising landscape, substantial challenges remain in harmonizing superconducting technologies with global sustainability frameworks.